Crossing guards plead with South Bend council

Rouse advises they also talk to legislators about law that may lead to their jobs being cut.

Rouse advises they also talk to legislators about law that may lead to their jobs being cut.

August 13, 2008|By JAMIE LOO Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND -- What about the children? It was a question a group of South Bend crossing guards posed to the Common Council on Monday, as they asked the council to find a way to save their jobs and, more importantly, maintain safety for schoolchildren in the city. During budget hearings last week, the Police Department announced it will likely lay off all 37 of its crossing guards by Jan. 1 because of budget cuts. Sandy Dreibelbeis presented the council with questions about the volunteers and students who could replace them, as has been suggested recently. Would the volunteers be screened with criminal background checks? Would they sign a form agreeing not to carry weapons, Dreibelbeis asked, be on time, and be willing to be outside in good and bad weather? She asked who would be liable if a student is hit by a car. "If students are used, will children obey the commands of another child? As parents and grandparents, I would not want that responsibility put on a child," she said. Most schools only go up to the fourth grade, she said, and it's not fair to ask a child to be responsible for other children's safety. Council member Tom LaFountain, D-3rd, who chairs the council's personnel and finance committee, said the budget hearings were the first time council members had heard the news themselves. He said the budgets are still being discussed and nothing is set in stone. The Police Department is working with the school board of trustees to find a solution, he said. "This is not something that the council will take lightly," LaFountain said. "We also hope you will turn to the school board, city administration and police so that we can all work together to make sure this problem is handled." Crossing guard Marlene Lowe said the school board has done "an incompetent job educating our children" and is already broke. She said her biggest concern is a child getting killed by a car going to or from school. What is the city going to do when a parent sues the city for millions because his or her child died, Lowe said. "The school board has no money, and you know it," she said. Council member Timothy Rouse, D-at large, said the city has no authority over the school system. In addition to talking to other city departments, Rouse said, the crossing guards should also talk to state legislators. These budget cuts are because of changes in state law that caused a tax shift, he said, which has reduced property tax revenues to pay for things like public safety. Melisa Machowiak said that when guards met with police Thursday for their bidding meeting for crossing locations, they were told there would be "no discussion" on the possibility of layoffs. Machowiak said some of the intersections are dangerous, for example, the five-points intersection at Eddy Street and South Bend Avenue near Perley Primary Center in the northeast neighborhood. Lenora Anderson, who has been a crossing guard for 39 years, and 38-year veteran crossing guard Eleanor Onderdonk said some people run stop signs, and the guards, even with their reflective jackets, come close to getting hit sometimes. Anderson said she hopes the city reconsiders cutting the guards. Both said they've watched children grow up and they now help the grandchildren of those former students cross the street. "They're like our children," Onderdonk said. "We guard them with our life." Dreibelbeis, who has been a crossing guard since 1983, said this isn't the first time their jobs have been threatened. In 1988, nearly half of the crossing guards were eliminated because of budget cuts, she said. Only two crossing guards have retirement benefits, she said, and most pay for their own insurance. Dreibelbeis said the council is their first stop and that they will continue to fight for their jobs. "I just hope they can find some money somewhere besides the crossing guards and the police officers," Dreibelbeis said. The city reduced the crossing-guard force in 1988 from 47 to 29 guards, also because of budget cuts. According to Tribune archives, the city enlisted the help of student safety patrols. The patrols of fifth- and sixth-graders staffed smaller secondary street crossings, while adult guards directed students at larger intersections with traffic lights or stop signs. Staff writer Jamie Loo: jloo@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6337